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The Western Athletic Conference has filed a lawsuit to force Nevada and Fresno State to stay in the league through the 2011-12 school year before leaving for the Mountain West Conference.

WAC commissioner Karl Benson said Tuesday on a conference call that the league filed a complaint last week in Jefferson County District Court in Colorado.

“The damages the WAC could incur if Fresno State and Nevada left early are very, very significant,” Benson said. “That’s what has driven this: to protect the assets of the WAC as a corporate entity.”

Benson said WAC bylaws state members must inform the conference it is leaving for another league by July 1 or that departing member is obligated to stay through the next two school years.

Nevada and Fresno State announced they had accepted invitations to the MWC on July 18 and both have indicated they would like to leave the WAC and be in their new conference for the 2011 football season.

Benson said he has contacted the leaders of Nevada and Fresno State, seeking assurances that they will remain in the WAC through June 30, 2012. But those assurances have not come, he said.


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I am pretty sure Vegas has Nevada and Fresno winning by at least 24 points................................

do conference bylaws constitute a legal contract?

If so, and if it can be proven that the bylaws do in fact state that, then it seems a pretty cut-and-dry case.

Well I think this hinges on the WAC staying alive. They desperately need that $10M for blood money to entice somebody to join their group.

That is correct, SD. But I think they're going to try to roll the newbies into giving up their share of the BB tournament $$ as has happened a couple of times in the last few years.